Draft-rigging.



.E. H. BAUER & L. L. WHITNEY. I

DRAFT RIGGING. A'PPLIGATION PIL EI ULY 7, 1908.

Patented Nov.28,1911.

E..H. BAUER & L. L. WHITNEY.

DRAFT RIGGING. APPLICATION FILED JULY '1, 1908.

1,010,012. Patented Nov.28,-191 1.

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E. H. BAUERIk L. L. WHITNEY.

DRAFT RIGGI NG.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 7, 190B Patented Nov. 28, 1911.

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W j'zavas I B. H. BAUER & L. L. WHITNEY."

' DRAFT meeme.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 7, 1908.

1,010,012. Patented Nov. 28, 1911.

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44% zfl is] UNITED s'rivrns PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD H. BAUER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AND LOREN L. WHITNEY, OF HAMMOND. INDIANA, ASSIGNORS TO SIMPLEX RAILWAY APPLIANCE COMPANY, OF, CHICAGO.

ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION ILLINOIS DRAFT-RIGGING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1911.

'of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, and Hammond, county of Lake, and State of Indiana, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft- 'R-igging, of which the following is a speci fication.

Improvements in railway car draft rigging or gear is the aim and purpose of our present invention. The use of fri tion wedge blocks in mechanisms of this kind has heretofore been suggested, butin our improved mechanism only a single coil compression spring is used in connection with expansible wedge blocks located on opposite sides of a main central wedge. This single 0 spring'is disposed below the draft device so that no cutting or weakening of the draft sills or frame is required to accommodate it. The faces of the cooperating wedge-shaped members are so shaped and arranged. that the device is as readily adapted to care for slightpulls or buffs as for heavy and excessive ones, the arrangement being such, that, as the bearing moves, the resistance to its movement offered -by the wedges and as- 3 sociated spring increases.

Other features of novelty and value in the construction and disposition of parts will be made apparent from the following detailed description, which should he read in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification.

On these drawings we have shown two desirable embodiments of our invention, and in the various figures like reference char- 0 acters .refer to the same parts throughout.

On the drawings Fig-u're 1 is a plan view of one style of our improved draft rigging,

the same being applied to channel draft sills: Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal vertical section of the draft rigging shown'in Figs. 1 and-2; Fig. 4 is a vertical crosssection on line 4 I. of Fig. 1, as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows; Fig.

5 is a view showing modified forms of wedge blocks; Fig. 6 is a plan view of another embodiment of our invention; Fig. "9' is a lonand 31.

gitudinal section on line *7-7 of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a longitudinal central section on line of Fig. 6 the spring being omitted; Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 7 illustrating the separation or expansion of the wedge blocks, the coil compression spring being omitted; and Fig. 10' is a cross-section on line yy of Fig. 9.

Referring first to the type and style of draft rigging shown in F 1 to i. inclusive, it will be apparent that the car has the usual pair of spaced longitudinal channel draft sills 12, 12, slotted at 13 and let to accommodate the ends of transversely-disposed bars or followers 15 and 16 adapted in the operation of the draft mechanism to bear against the ends of the slots and transmit the pulls or buffs imposed 011 the coupler to' the draft sills of the car. end of the. coupler shank 17 a yoke 18 is fastened by means of a pair of bolts 19, and at the rear end of the yoke and inside of the same we provide a rear auxiliary follower 20 through an aperture 21 of which passes the main follower bar 15. The rear end of .this auxiliary follower 20 has a curved seat 22 which accommodates the rear curved bent portion of the yokelS, the lat ter being disposed between two pairs of rearwardly extended divergent I centering arms or fingers In the yoke and bearing against thev rear end of coupler shank 17 there is employed a similar front auxiliary follower 24, apertured at'25 for the accom modation and reception of the forward follower bar 16. This auxiliary follower has forwardly-projecting centering arms or fingers 26 straddling the rear end of the coupler shank,'as is clearlyillustrated. Between these two auxiliary followers, and passing horizontally through the space between the side portions of the yoke, is a main wedge'27 having at its front end or side the divergent or wedge faces 28 and 29, and at its rear end or side similar faces 0 Cooperating with the surfaces 28 and 29 of the wedge, and disposed between these faces and the front auxiliary follower 24, we provide a pair of expansible or sepa rable wedge blocks 32 and of the same length as the wedge 27 and recessed at. 34 so as to straddle the legs of the yoke and To the rear cessed at- 34 for the same purpose. Bearing on the end portions of the wedge blocks 32 and 35 projecting beyond the yoke is a top bearing member'37, recessed at 38, which.

permits it to straddle the top strap of the yoke. A similar lower bearing member 39, recessed at 40 so as to straddle the 10's er strap of the yoke, presses against the exposed end portions of the lower wedge blocks 33 and 36. A pair of vertical bolts 41 pass through holes or apertures in the bearing members 37 and 39 and the main wedge 2-7, the bolts extending downwardly below the bottom bearing member 39 some little distance, and being equipped attheir lower ends with nuts 42 on which rests a spring block 43, through apertures of which the bolts pass, a coil compression spring 44 being interposed between the bottom surface of the lower bearing member 39 and the top face of the spring block 43. It will be obvious that owing to the action of the spring 44 pressing upwardly against the bearing member 39, the spring opposes downward movement of the lower wedge blocks and 36, and by pressing downwardly on the spring block 43 and bolts 41 the spring, through. the upper bear'ingmember 37, opposes upward movement of the wedge blocks 32 and 35. In other-words, expansion or separation of the pairs of wedge blocks32, 33 and 35, 36 is opposed but not prevented by the single coil compression spring 44. The operation of this form of draft gear or mechanism is sub stantially as follows; \Vhen the coupler and its rigidly attached yokelS arepulled for wardly no movement of the front follower bar 16 is permissible because it already abuts against the end walls or margins of the slots 14 in the verticalwebs of the channel. draft sills 12. The follower 15 and its associated auxiliary follower 20. however, travel forwardly with the yoke 18 and in so doing the' auxiliarv follower 2O forces the wedge blocks 35 and 36 against the divergent'faces 30 and -31 of the main wedge 27 and pushes this main wedge forwardlv against the front wedge blocks 32 and 33, the latter transmitting the push through the front auxiliary follower 24 and the main forward follower 16 to the draft sills 12. When subjected to this action the wedge blocks 36 and 32, 33 tend to separate vertically or expand. this a tion howev r being opposed and restricted by the compression spring 44 acting on the wedge blocks through the bearing members.

37 and 39. The mere compression of the spring 44- is not relied upon solely for the "twin-Han F shocks and the transmission the corresponding bearing member.

of the pull on the coupler, since, as is obvious', each wedge block has three friction surfaces co-acting with other surfaces to hinder its movement, these surfaces being that co-aeting with one of the divergent faces of the wedge, that co-acting with one of the auxiliary followers, and the surface abutting against one of the bearing members. For example, when the wedge block 32 v moves outwardly it must neeessaril slide on the surface 28 and on the rear sur ace of the front auxiliary follower 24. Outward movement of the wedge blocks permits the wedge 27 to move with the yoke, and consequent-1y there is a relative movement between one face of each wedge block and This combined spring compression and friction act to satisfactorily bare for all pulls, buffs, and shocks sustained by the coupler. hen the coupler and yoke 18 are pushed rearwardly asin buffing, the follower 16 and its associate follower 24 move with yoke and coupler, pushing the blocks 32 and 33 against the wedge and the latter against the blocks 35 and 36. These in turn co-actwith the auxiliary follower 2O andthe main follower 25 so as to transmit the buff to the draft sills 12, the follower 15 bearing against the rear margins of the slots 13. In order to adapt this type of mechanism for strains and shocks which the vary greatly in strength and intensity, we may make the cooperating faces of the main wedge and wedge blocks of diflerent shape than those shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusivea F or example, referring to Fig. 5, the wedge proper 45 may have rounded corners 46 which co-act with faces of the wed e blocks struction is that during the first part of the movement of the wedge or wedge blocks longitu dinally of the carthere is a much greater ten dency for the wedge blocks to separate than there is after the coupler and yoke have moved somev little distance. Consequently, the resistance to the movement of the couipler is gradually increased as the movement progresses. In a draft rigging employing this" type of wedge blocks slight shocks are readily cared for and also a heavy strain is as readily absorbed or transmitted. As is apparent. the function of the centering lugs or fingers 23 and 26" is to bring the coupler and attached yoketo a central position after having been displaced sidewise, the diverging inner faces of the fingers oo-acting with the strap or coupler shank to center the 1 same.

- Between the auxiliary followers and located Referring now to the construction shown in Figs. 6 to 10, inclusive, it will be noticed that to the rear end of the coupler shank we attach a member 51 having rear Wardly-projecting parallel legs 52 slotted at- 53 and 5 for the accommodation and reception of the followers 55 and 56, the central portions of these-legs being narrower at 57 than the other portions. As in the previous instance the forward follower 56 passes through a transverse hole in an auxiliary follower, 57 disposed between the two side legs 52 and bearing against the shoulder 58 of the member 51. At the rear end of this draft rigging .and overlapping the top and bottom surfaces of the rear follower 55 we provide a smaller'rear auxiliary follower 59.

between the legs or side walls 52 of the member 51 is a main wedge 60' split horizontally at 61 at its center so as to form two separable parts 62 and 63, the two parts constituting a wedge-with forward divergent surfaces 6st and 65 and similar rear surfaces 66 and 67.

The upper half of this wedge on its opposite sides has a pair of laterally extended guiding lugs 68 and 69 which overlap and cooperate with the top edges of (the reduced central portions 57 of the two legs 52. The bottom half of the wedge has similarguiding lugs of which only one 70 is illustrated, these, as

is obvious, co-acting with the bottom edge of the reduced portion 57 ,as is clearly indicated. Between the divergent faces 64 and 65 of the wedge 60 and the rear wall of the front auxiliary follower 57 we place the pair of expansible,or separable wedge blocks 71 and 72, each being notched on its outer face at 73 for a purpose hereinafter indicated. Between the wedge, faces 66-and 67 and the front surface of the rear auxiliary follower 59 we inter-pose the pair of wedge blocks 7 and 75 each notched at 73. Bearing on the tops of the wedge blocks 71 and 74 is a bearing member 76 having ribs 77 on its under face fitting in the recesses or grooves 73 to prevent displacement of the wedge blocks. A lower bearing member 78 is supplied which also has ribs 77 fitting in the grooves of the lower wedge blocks 72 and 75. Passing downwardly through central apertures in the-bearing members 76 and 77 and the two parts 62 and (33 of the wedge is a vertical bolt 7 9 whose head presses against the top face of the upper bearing member.-

Nuts 80 are supplied on the lower end of the bolt, and on these rests a spring block 81 between which and the bottom face of the lower beu ring member 78 is interposed a coil compression spring Since the operation of this form of mu" device is substantially like that of the form shown in Figs. .1 to 4,

inclusive, a full description thereof is deemed unnecessary. It may be remarked, however, that the followers and 56 are adapted and intended to co-act with stop lugs on the draft sills, and in this form of our draft rigging the slots, instead of being in the draft sills, are provided as described above in the legs 52 of the casting 51.

It is, of course, to be understood that the form of wedge and wedge blocks shown in Fig.5 is applicable for employment in either type of draft rigging, and attention also directed to the fact that in the two embodiments of our invention described above each wedge block has a plurality of friction surfaces and only a single spring on the under side of the rigging is employed for opposing the separation or-expansion of all of the wedge blocks. I

Our invention is not limited to the precise features of construction and arrangement shown and described, because these may be modified to a considerable extent without departure from the heart and substance of our invention;

\Ve claim:

1. In a railway car draft rigging, the combination with a coupler shank of a wedge, means connecting said coupler-shank with said wedge, a pair of expansion wedge blocks adapted to co-act with diverging faces of said wedge, a spring, and connections between said spring and both wedge blocks, said connections comprising a plurality of bearing members against which the wedge blocks are adapted to be forced, a spring block, and means rigidly connect-- ing said'spring block to one of said bearing members, whereby the spring is compressed between said spring block and the other bearing member and opposes'the expansion of said wedge blocks upon movement of the coupler in either direction, substantially as described.

2. In a railway car draft rigging, the combination of a yoke, a wedge within and transversely disposed relatively to said yoke and having a pair of diverging faces at each of its opposite ends, a pair of expansion.wedge blocks at eachof said ends of the wedge cdacting with said diverging faces, disposed transversely to said yoke, and projecting beyond the sides thereof, a member bearing against the exposed endportionsof one of the wedge blocks of each of said pairs, a second member bearing against the exposed end portions of the other two wedge blocks, a compression spring abutting against one of said bearing members, springblock against which the other end of the spring presses, means connecting said spring block to the other hearing member whereby the spring opposes ,expansion of both pairs of wedge blocks,

and means to prevent movement of one of said pairs of'wedge blocks longitudinally of the car while the other pair of wedge blocks is forced against the wedge and the latter against the firstpair of wedge blocks during pulling or buffing on the coupler, substantially as described.

3. In a railway car draft rigging, the

combination of a yoke, a horizontal Wedgewithin and transversely disposed relatively to said yoke and having a pair of diverging faces at each of its opposite ends, a pair of horizontal expansion wedge blocks at each of said ends of the wedge coacting with connecting said spring block to the upper bearing member whereby the spring opposes expansion of both pairs of wedge blocks, and means to prevent movement of one of said pairs of wedge blocks longitudinally of the car While the other pair of wedge blocks is forced against the wedge and the latter against the firstpair of wedge blocks during pulling or bufiing on the coupler, substantially as described.

4. In a railway car draft rigging, the combination of draft sills having abutments thereon, a coupler, a yoke secured to the coupler-shank, followers extended through said yoke and cooperating with the abut-- ,ments of said draft sills, apertured auxiliary followers in said yoke in the apertures of which said followers are located, the yoke passing around and bearing on the rear auxiliary follower, the coupler-shank bearing against the forward auxiliary follower, a wedge between said auxiliary followers having a pair of diverging faces at each of its opposite ends, 'a pair of expansion wedge blocks at each of said ends of the wedge disposed between the diverging faces of the latter and the auxiliary followers, a member bearing against one. of the wedge blocks of each of the pairs, a second member bearing against the remaining two wedge blocks, a compression spring abutting against one of said bearing members, a spring block against which the other end of the spring presses, and means connecting said spring block to the other bearing member whereby the spring opposes expansion of both pairs of said wedge blocks, whereby during either pulling or bufling on the coupler one of the followers will bear against abutment of said draft sills holding its auxiliary follower stationary while the companion auxiliary follower will compel movement of one pair follower, substantially as described.

5. In'a railway car draft rigging, the combination of, draft sills having abutments thereon, a coupler, a yoke secured to the coupler-shank, followers extended through said yoke and cooperating with the abutments of said draft sills, apertured auxil-. iary followers in said yoke in the apertures of which said followers are located, the yoke passing around and bearing on the rear auxiliary follower, the coupler-shank bearing against the forward auxiliary follower, a wedge between said auxiliary followers hav ing a pair of diverging faces at each of its opposite ends, a pair of expansion wedge blocks at each of said ends of the wedge dis" posed between the diverging faces of the latter and the auxiliary followers, a member bearing against one of the wedge blocks of each of the pairs, a second member hearing against the remaining two wedge blocks, a compression spring abutting against one of said bearing members, a spring block against which the other end of the spring presses, means connecting said spring block to the other bearing member whereby the spring opposes expansion of both pairs of said wedge blocks, and means on said auxiliary followers to center the attached yoke and coupler, whereby during either pulling, or bufiing on the coupler one of the fol.-

lowers will bear against abutments of said draft sills holding its auxiliary follower stationary while the companion auxiliary follower will compel movement of one pair of wedge blocks against the Wedge and the latter against the other pair of wedge blocks which are prevented from moving with the coupler and yoke by the stationary auxiliary follower, substantially as described.

(3. In a railway car draft rigging, the combination of draft sills having abutments, a coupler, a yoke secured to the shank of said coupler, followers extended through said yoke and cooperating with the abutments of said draft sills, auxiliary followers extended through said yoke and having apertures within which said followers lie, the rear auxiliary follower having a seat for the end of said yoke, the end of the couplershank bearing against the forward auxiliary follower, a horizontal wedge within and disposed transversely to said yoke, between. said auxiliary followers, and having a pair of diverging faces at each of its'opposite' ends, a pair of expansion wedge blocks at each of said ends of the wedge, co-acting with said diverging faces, disposed transversely to said yoke between said faces and said auxiliary followers, and projecting be yond the sides of said yoke, an upper memsaid pairs,

ber bearing against the exposed end portions of one of the wedge blocks of each of a lower member bearing against the exposed end portions of the other two 5 wedge blocks, a'cornpression spring abutting against the under face of said lower member, a spring block against which the lower end of said spring-presses, and means connecting said spring block to said upperv bearing member whereby said. spring opposes expansion of both pairs of wedge blocks and during pulling or butting on said coupler one of said followers bears against abutments on said draft sills holding its follower,

auxiliary follower stationary while the other 15 auxiliary follower travels with the united yoke and coupler pressing one air of said wedge blocks against said we ge and the latter against the other pair of wedge blocks which are yoke and coupler by the stationary auxiliary substantially as described.

EDWARD H. BAUER. LOREN L. "WHITNEY.

In the presence of- VVALTER M. FULLER, CLARE L. RosENoW.

Copms of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C."

Whitney, ot Hammond', Indiana, for

erroneously issued to Simplex the .Patent Office.

[SEAL] Correction in Letters Patent No. 1,010,012

1911, upon the application of Edward H. Bauer, of

said invention, whereas said Letters Patent Railway Appliance Company and Loren Whitney,

Signed and sealed this 23rd day of September,

It is hereby certified that Letters Patent No. 1,010,012, granted Nove mber 28 Chicago, Illinois, and Loren .L.

an improvement in Draft-Rigging, were Simplex Railway Appliance Company as sole owner of should have been issued to the-said the second-named inventor, said corporation being assignee of Baners interest only, as shown by the records of assignments in this ofiice; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in R. T. FRAZIER,

.Acting Commissioner of Patents.

held from movement with the- 20 said pairs,

ber bearing against the exposed end portions of one of the wedge blocks of each of a lower member bearing against the exposed end portions of the other two 5 wedge blocks, a'cornpression spring abutting against the under face of said lower member, a spring block against which the lower end of said spring-presses, and means connecting said spring block to said upperv bearing member whereby said. spring opposes expansion of both pairs of wedge blocks and during pulling or butting on said coupler one of said followers bears against abutments on said draft sills holding its follower,

auxiliary follower stationary while the other 15 auxiliary follower travels with the united yoke and coupler pressing one air of said wedge blocks against said we ge and the latter against the other pair of wedge blocks which are yoke and coupler by the stationary auxiliary substantially as described.

EDWARD H. BAUER. LOREN L. "WHITNEY.

In the presence of- VVALTER M. FULLER, CLARE L. RosENoW.

Copms of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C."

Whitney, ot Hammond', Indiana, for

erroneously issued to Simplex the .Patent Office.

[SEAL] Correction in Letters Patent No. 1,010,012

1911, upon the application of Edward H. Bauer, of

said invention, whereas said Letters Patent Railway Appliance Company and Loren Whitney,

Signed and sealed this 23rd day of September,

It is hereby certified that Letters Patent No. 1,010,012, granted Nove mber 28 Chicago, Illinois, and Loren .L.

an improvement in Draft-Rigging, were Simplex Railway Appliance Company as sole owner of should have been issued to the-said the second-named inventor, said corporation being assignee of Baners interest only, as shown by the records of assignments in this ofiice; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in R. T. FRAZIER,

.Acting Commissioner of Patents.

held from movement with the- 20 It is hereby certified that Letters Patent No. 1,010,012, granted November 28, 1911, upon the application of Edward H. Bauer, of Chicago, Illinois, and Loren L. Whitney, of Hammond, Indiana, for an improvement in Draft-Rigging," were erroneously issued to Simplex Railway Appliance Company sole owner of said invention, whereas said Letters Patent should have been issued to the-said Simplex Railway Appliance Company imd Loren L. Whitney, the second-named inventor, said corporation being assignee of Bauers interest only, as shown by the records of assignments in this oliice; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in theiPatent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 23rd day of September, A. D., 1913.

R. T. FRAZIER,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

[SEAL] 

